Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

It pains me to throw away all of the boxes! But I can't possibly keep them. Can I?! That would be insane! My whole house would be filled with mini little cardboard boxes. I'm pretty sure it would start bordering on an episode of hoarders. Does anyone else have a hard time parting with these? Or, does anyone here keep them all and will I be seeing you on an upcoming Hoarders episode?

"I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it."
— Marilyn Monroe

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I think quite a few people store their perfumes in boxes and take them out to use them.

I feel a little twinge when I dispose of the packaging but I don't want to keep it. Some parfums and minis stay in their packaging as they are easier to find that way. I find I wear a fragrance less when wearing it requires removing the packaging though. Other things are easier to grab and spray.

If you think you might want to sell some of your fragrances later you might want to keep the boxes though as some people would rather purchase them that way. You could always flatten the boxes them and keep them in a larger box.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

No, I do not keep boxes. But I think if you unfold both the top and bottom of the box, you can flatten it, then keep them all together in a file or something, if you really want to keep them. Or make a wall art from them

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I keep the fragrances in the boxes and take them out to use them. It is the only way to do it. Scents I have without boxes are stored in drawers and put back immediately after use. The quickest and surest way to ruin a fragrance is to expose it to light and heat. This is why I still have fragrances from when I was a little girl that still smell wonderful and have not turned.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

Originally Posted by Brielle87

I keep the fragrances in the boxes and take them out to use them. It is the only way to do it. Scents I have without boxes are stored in drawers and put back immediately after use. The quickest and surest way to ruin a fragrance is to expose it to light and heat.

I totally agree with Brielle. Before I came to Basenotes I kept my fragrances on my dresser and threw the box. Not anymore, they are all stored in the box (except the ones I had before) and they are all stored in a cool place. It doesn't take very long for light and heat to ruin your fragrances. If you keep them in the original box you'll have an easier time selling them on Ebay if you ever choose to.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I like the wall art idea Robin! LOL. In addition to perfume, I also collect a lot of antique items. I have a pretty small condo and storage space is very limited. I do keep all of my fragrances on my dresser. It gives me pleasure to see them all there, amassed together, and to reach for an open and sniff then whenever I like. I love the look of it too; I always loved to play with perfume bottles on my mother and grandmothers dresser when I was little. My bedroom gets very little sunlight and the shades are almost always closed, so exposure to light/heat is not too big of a concern for now. It would be ideal to keep the boxes though, I just don't feel like I can.

"I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it."
— Marilyn Monroe

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

l keep all of my boxes separately from the bottles, in a large cardboard box in a cupboard, in case l need to move house or sell/swap any perfumes. The bottles are kept in a trunk in my bedroom, so l only have to lift the lid to see them all at a glance, & find what l need. l too find it too much hassle to have to remove a bottle from it's packaging each time l want to use it. When a bottle is used up, the corresponding box gets thrown out too, in the recycling bin of course.

​​"What is this secret connection between the soul, and sea, clouds and perfumes? The soul itself appears to be sea, cloud and perfume..." - from Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I keep all of the boxes now, too. I used to throw the packaging away, but I'm still devastated that I threw away the gorgeous Juliette Has a Gun packaging, so now I keep it all. Even if the box is cheap and nasty (looking at you, Jean Patou Sira des Indes).

I keep all of my perfumes in a drawer. Except! This summer I've started to keep Eau Fraiche, Escale a Pondichery, Dune, and L'Eau Ambree on top of my dresser. They're so sheer and I use so much of them, long term preservation isn't my top priority. Pondichery is almost half gone, and I only bought it last year. And they do look so elegant on display. And, of course, when the summer's over they'll go back in their boxes in the drawer.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

Originally Posted by Leesee

I do keep the boxes because they are pretty and because it makes moving the perfumes (I moved around a good bit) easier.

On the lam, are we?

Oh, "Hoarders," Paper Moon; I stream whole seasons via Netflix. My parents left me a household that bordered on the look, minus the excess filth, thank goodness. I'm an obsessive organizer -- neither hoarding nor throwing, but scrutinizing the value of every material good and finding the perfect home or logical recycling host for any object I cannot appreciate and then applying ponderous orderliness to all that remains. It's a marvelous obsession, once one digs out from the mess enough to see one's scheme come together.

I keep the boxes in a drawer. Most of my bottles are in a showcase in a windowless powder room. I like seeing them, and I plan to use up the juice soon enough that they can be on display. I'm veering away from getting whole bottles of almost anything. Decants really make more sense to me -- or "splits" (sharing the purchase of a bottle). Of course, lately I've been consumed with imagining how I can better organize my decants ...

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I keep my 'fumes in their original packaging, only taking them out when I want to spray. I want to try and keep them in the best condition I can, both for my own use and in case I ever want to sell any (not that I have any plans to sell, but who knows?). I also keep the receipts in the boxes, so I know when and where they were purchased. Most of my scents are stored in a small three-drawer chest by my bed, a few more in an old shoe-box on the floor and some are just lying about. I'm not too bothered about organising them since I quite like the 'hunt' (ditto my books and cds, which are randomly stacked wherever there is some space). While I think my nature tends towards hoarding, I have become much better at chucking things out, in part due to moving house four times in three years, including an international move and back again. Since I know I can be quite ruthless about clearing stuff out, I don't worry too much about the things I decide to keep.

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

Wow Quarry, there must have been some treasures in that house! I like the idea of splitting and God knows I have enough samples to keep me smelling good for years to come, but... if I like a perfume enough, I have to *possess* it. I want the bottle. Its ridiculous, but that's just the way it is. : )

"I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it."
— Marilyn Monroe

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I also used to throw out the boxes. But I am happy that I have been saving them as well. I do feel better having the box if I am swapping it off. I am collecting quite a few boxes now though. I also like the wall art idea

Re: Does anyone else have a hard time throwing away packaging?

I've always kept the boxes, for all the good protective reasons the posters above have noted. Testers or other bottles lacking a box get put back into their cubbyhole right after use, as Brielle outlined. Here's another reason keep the boxes - when you have a drawer or shelf full of fragrances, it is easier to quickly identify the one you want by its box. Unless you are the lucky, lucky person with lots of the Chanel Exclusifs in their elegant, identical boxes. Also, particularly with older fragrances, the packaging is a work of art in itself and a part of the whole experience.

All of the above is just me and my quirks, but I suspect I'm with a good crowd!